Flanked by turkey and stuffing this bean salad brightened my Christmas Day plate!

I’m not sure “beans” come top of mind when thinking of the holidays but when the word “holiday” is in the name, we had to make this salad for Christmas Day feasting.

But before we dive into this hearty dish, let’s chat a little more about beans. Whether it’s bean dip, refried beans, chili with beans, baked beans, pork and beans, or pinto beans — I think we can all agree that beans are a part of everyday living.

My Dad loved the movie Blazing Saddles and let’s look at a slice from the movie that has direct ties to beans and making music, so to speak. I can still hear my Dad laughing!

Distinct parts of my family have a fondness for, shall we call it, “bathroom humor!” I can remember shortly after my college graduation scoring this amazing Santa who has more skills than a (breaking) wind symphony!

foodie tip

❤ While we were in a scurry preparing the holiday festivities we forgot to enjoy this salad from lettuce cups. Doh! The note below says to decorate the tops of the salad with tiny star-shaped pimientos. Save yourself some frustration and use some tiny cookie cutters to do the work for you!

2. Cook the green beans and the limas according to package directions. When both types of beans are done, cool, drain, and set them aside.

3. In a large bowl add the beans, limas, onions, celery, pimiento strips and 1 cup of the prepared salad dressing. Gently toss everything together then chill 2 – 3 hours in the fridge, occasionally turning in the dressing to help things marinate.

4. You can serve the bean salad solo but the original recipe (below) calls for the bean salad to be served in lettuce cups with cutout stars of pimiento.

This is the third minestrone recipe I’ve discovered in my Mom “Betty’s” cookbook so there’s no doubt this was one of her favorites. This soup’s signature ingredients of beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes will not disappoint. Plus, there’s pasta and cheese!

I’m glad to be reminded that this dish hails from Italy. And not just Italy but ancient Italy (think BC, folks!).

I’ve kidded a few times here at Betty’s Cook Nook that my family must have had poor roots as many of the recipes we ate growing up are considered peasant foods. This is one of them; minestrone belongs to a style of cooking known in Italy as “cucina povera” (literally “poor kitchen”). All I have to say is bring it on — I love my peasant foods as they are hearty and the very origins of comfort foods rely upon them! True story: I once made and devoured an instant mashed potato on sliced white bread sandwich proving my forever love for carby sustenance.

Macaroni For Me … Macaroni For You!

As a lover and former resident of Italy, one thing I’ve learned is that Italians do not rush in the kitchen. They really don’t rush outside the kitchen, either, unless it’s from behind the wheel of a fast sports car or when horse racing at revered events like Siena’s Palio.

In similar fashion, please don’t hurry this recipe — let the ingredients mingle and get to know one another. While cooking time takes about an hour and a half it’s well worth the wait. You’ll be treated to wonderful smells from your lively kitchen and rewarded with a savory soup that has withstood the test — and taste — of time.

foodie tips

❤ Back in the day “oil” likely meant Crisco vegetable oil. Since this dish has Italian roots we used olive oil — a kitchen staple. As fan of a great olive oil, for several years I’ve fostered an Italian olive tree living on a farm gracing the hills outside Montalcino, Tuscany. Each year after the Il Palazzone harvest my eyes grow as wide as dinner plates when 3 bottles of pure gold arrive at my door. That’s amore!

❤ Make sure and check out Mom’s other two minestrone recipes here and here. I’m not sure which version I like best as each has its own merit. In a pinch you could make the one that makes best use of the ingredients you have in your kitchen.
❤ Wacky about minestrone? Wiki’s got you covered with more interesting factsabout this zesty soup!

This isn’t our first time at the minestrone rodeo! In 2012 we made this minestrone recipe and Mom must have surely loved this soup because I think I’ve found 3 different minestrone soup recipes in her cookbook.

While the formal definition of minestrone calls for a thick soup with bits of pasta, this recipe – sans the pasta – is just as tasty as our first find, which included dittalini. With Italian origins, this tasty soup warms you up on a cold day! It’s good all by itself or partnered with some fresh baked bread and a salad. For those who don’t know me, a side of wine is a given. :)

❤ I was concerned at first sight by the mass quantity of soup. But when I later did the math I realized it’s perfect for a party of eight. Or 4 days of 2 bowls each. :/~ You can also bag and freeze leftovers for a quick meal when you’re short on time.

❤ “Navy beans” are referred to by many a name. Haricot. Pearl Haricot. Pea Bean. This high fiber bean isn’t navy blue in color – rather white – and prized for its cholesterol-lowering health benefits plus its ability to retain an oval shape after being cooked tender. Navy beans received their nickname after being a popular staple of the U.S. Navy in the early 20th century.

1. Wash the navy beans. Place beans, water and bouillon (or broth) in a large pot. Bring slowly to boil and simmer, covered 1 ½ hours, or until the beans are soft. While the beans soften now’s a good time for a little wine rest break! #LongDay

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté 5 minutes. Add this mixture to the beans and broth.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

4. To serve, sprinkle each serving with the grated parmesan cheese and ENJOY!

Yields: About 8-9 servings (~2 cups each, in size). Nutritional info is below in the original recipe scan!

Mom had more than one Swiss steak recipe included in her culinary legacy. The handwritten recipe below caught our eye first, so let’s make a go of it.

Wait! Did you honestly think before we dove into this recipe that I wouldn’t “wax on” about this or that (or both)? Well you’re right!

You might learn a few things about this tasty dish, as did I. Most shockingly, this recipe does not hail from Switzerland – FOR REAL? Yes, if Wikipedia is remotely true, (and I believe that it is), I’ve been wrong about this small but tastefully important detail my entire life. Read why here.

♥ If you’re feeling rather hungry and you don’t want to pound/tenderize the meat, you can simply coat the steak with the flour mixture by tossing them all together. But don’t blame me if you have second thoughts!

♥ Sadly, my local market (cough-cough-HEB-cough) was out of the cuts of meat I was looking for. Sniffle! Sniffle! But I found boneless chuck steak ribs and they were quite good. But on the next go, I’ll try waking up early in the day for a run at the steak.

♥ Serve with a bountiful sidekick of instant potatoes? Hey, don’t hate! This blog is about functional food from the 1950s – 1970s, so that’s what we ate … and we loved it! And yet I’m still alive to blog about it. I fondly remember black packets of Borden Brand Instant Mashed Potatoes prepared with a divot generously filled with melted butter and a sprinkling of Lawry’s Brand Seasoned Salt (shown above). My brother Roger tells me that Idahoan has filled the void sadly left by Borden. I read more online about the blows to the Borden brand and he’s right. Tonight my partner Joe thanked me more than he did at Christmastime for making this savory starch “with no nutritional value.” That says a lot about his love of instant potatoes … and my skills with gift giving. :\

♥ Whoopsie! Forgot to add the peas near the preparation dismount … probably because I was overly-focused on the “sinsationally” starchy potatoes and garlicky green bean sidekicks.

My grandmother “Nanny” (Betty’s Mom) and I were the best of friends when I was growing up.

We spent a lot of time laughing and being silly.

I’d have sleep-overs at Nanny’s on the weekend and we’d walk from the Barcelona Apartments at 33 Brees Boulevard around the corner to Winn’s Five And Dime store in the Sunset Ridge shopping center. I was toy huntin’.

Nanny had a special cardboard box of toys tucked in her closet just for my visits. While the toys provided much needed entertainment in a time before computers and cable or satellite TV, my favorite time during my visits was when Nanny would cook.

For Sunday breakfast, she’d make waffles; not an “Eggo” popped in the toaster, but homemade waffles dripping with butter and syrup! For her special dish, she’d make chicken noodle soup with real chicken she’d carefully boil off the bone. She’d fill the soup with her wonderfully wide egg noodles and serve. My taste buds would go into outer space! Love me some savory.

While this chicken noodle casserole won’t appear on today’s cooking shows targeted to the fancy foodie (um, it calls for *canned* chicken), it’s very hearty and quick to make. It’s a dish inspired from chicken noodle soup so who doesn’t love that?